Struggling Against the Autism Pit

October 19, 2011

A couple of weeks ago we took a break from our regular nighttime routine of watching old “AFV” shows with the kids and broke out our own videos. Our videos — like lots of other things in our lives — are a jumbled mishmash, unsorted and unlabeled.  So it was a bit of an adventure [...]

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Using the iPad to Improve Communication Skills

October 10, 2011

Friends, please welcome guest blogger Elizabeth Vosseller, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and the director of Growing Kids Therapy Center in Herndon, Virginia. by Elizabeth Vosseller With the sad loss of Steve Jobs this week, I thought a discussion of how to use the iPad to improve communication skills would be an appropriate topic.  Steve Jobs talked [...]

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Experimenting With a Gluten Free Diet to Treat Autism

October 5, 2011

There’s not much I won’t try – at least once – in the quest to help my son overcome the challenges of autism. By the time Carson was four-years-old, I thought I had exhausted the possibilities –  speech therapy, occupational therapy, ABA, sensory motor integration therapy, and special-ed preschool.  But there was one lingering intervention [...]

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Advocating for our Autistic Children

September 26, 2011

As we start this new school year, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting –  reflecting on how far we’ve come on our autism journey; strategizing our next steps; developing a plan of action. And as I reflect, I also give thanks.  Yes, autism is a big challenge for our whole family and will likely [...]

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Scheduling Woes of an Autism Parent

September 14, 2011

My circumstance isn’t unique.  Like thousands of other autism parents, I feel like my life is a whirlwind of appointments, therapies and evaluations. I feel the pressure of time weighing on me. Tick Tock.  Time is marching on and we just have so much we need to do, NOW.  We need to work on speech [...]

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New School Year, New Beginnings

September 7, 2011

He jumped out of the car without a look back.  Smile on his face, eager for a new adventure. Yesterday was Carson’s first day of first grade, and I’m feeling all mixed up inside. Happy to get back to a routine.  Scared for what lies ahead.  Anxious that Carson will fall behind. New school.  New [...]

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Playing with Fire

August 31, 2011

I had a harsh wake up call this past weekend, just as I was thinking we had it all under control.  Just as I thought Carson had turned a corner – growing, maturing,  “getting it” – he started a fire in our house. All kids like to experiment.  All kids push the boundaries, making choices [...]

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Rising to the Challenge — Adventure at the Hospital

August 23, 2011

I woke up this morning feeling all wound up and out of sorts.  The day that had been hanging over my head all summer was finally here – the day Carson would have surgery to remove his adenoids. I know…  on a scale of medical procedures, this falls pretty low on the totem pole.  I’m [...]

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My Child Has Autism, What Now? Part Four: The Special Family

August 16, 2011

We’ve all had those romantic dreams of what our lives would be like.  You know – the ones where married life is always bliss-filled and our children grow up to be fabulously happy, healthy and successful. I know… life rarely plays out quite like a fairy tale storybook.  But for many “Special Families” – those [...]

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Guest Post: How To Prepare for Your Next IEP Meeting

August 10, 2011

By Dennise Goldberg, owner of Special Education Advisor and Gold Standard Advocates. Life is hectic when raising a special needs child.  Parents are constantly dealing with therapies, medical appointments, administering medicine, and life in general.  To make matters worse parents are telling me they keep hearing in IEP meetings from School District personnel, “If you don’t like our offer [...]

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